Chronicles of the West
by Writing Otaku
Summary: When Ed takes time off to actually do the same thing he was doing at work, he learns that things are more different the farther you travel
1. Train Ride

**(A/N – Hello people! Even though I've been a member of the site for almost a year now, this is my first fanfic. Feel the love. So yeah, just tell me what ye think about it and maybe I'll post some more!)**

The low rumble of the engine and the setting sun were enough to fill the senses as a train's airy whistle echoed through the mountain pass. The train creaked and clattered along its chosen path, swaying the only two people it carried other than the crew.

One of them, a suit of armor with miniature lights shining through the eyes of the helmet, focused its lights on the person across from him: a teenage boy with bright golden hair and of eyes the same shade who was stretched out across the seat. "Brother," The suit mumbled in a young boy's voice. "How long is it to Resembool?"

Strands of his hair were trying to escape through the open window as he rested. "We're not going home, Al." The golden-haired boy said in a rough, monotonous voice.

"What?" The suit of armor cried, leaning forward as if he had heard it wrong. "You're not going to see Winry or Pinako on your days off?"

"No, we're not." The teenager said in the single toned voice he had used before. "There's a lead on the Stone I've been wanting to examine without Mustang on my back about it."

"But… How…" The suit of armor stuttered. "Why?"

"Because no outsiders are supposed to know about it." The older brother stretched both his metallic arm and his human arm at a right angle to the seat. "I heard about it from one of the Ishbalans. They made me promise not to tell anybody that there was a stone in this civilization."

The younger brother bowed his head, clacking the armor. "Equivalent Exchange…" He said to himself before looking at his brother again. "So what's the name of this town?"

"Excuse me, sirs?"

Both brothers looked up at the gentleman standing beside the seat. He was obviously one of the crew, for his work clothes were smothered in clum, he had an engineer's hat on, and his brown mustache bobbed up and down with every syllable he pronounced. "Well, I'll be. The rest of the crew told me there was the famous Full Metal Alchemist Edward Elric on board, but I didn't believe them." He turned to the suit of armor with a smile. "It's a pleasure to finally meet a State Alchemist, Mr. Elric."

The blond boy sat up, and one could nearly see the red vein rising out of his forehead as he gave the engineer a dark look, but the engineer was too interested in the suit of armor to even realize this was going on. "Everyone in the West has heard of your work, Mr. Elric. They heard how you stopped that cult from starting in the East, and how you saved those boys on the train a few weeks ago…"

The suit of armor glanced at his brother before what were supposed to be his eyes went back to the engineer. "I-I'm not the State Alchemist, sir." He raised his finger at the blond boy, who was still giving the engineer a dark look. "He is."

The engineer looked over at the already short Full Metal Alchemist, then back to the much more impressive-looking suit of armor, which only made the elder brother look even shorter. "You mean this pipsqueak passed the State Exam at age 12?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MICROSCOPIC ANT SO SHORT YOU NEED A LADDER TO CLIMB DOWN TO HIM!" The famously short Edward Elric ranted.

"Brother… No one said that…" Alphonse Elric chimed, trying to calm his brother, but to no avail.

_Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. _

_In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one and only truth._


	2. Welcome to Nowhere

**(A/N - So after finding out people actually READ this, (Don't laugh, it's gotten 30 hits so far.) I decided to keep going. Why? Cuz I got bored. I do know that yes, the series ended, but I just wanted to do an old-school fanfiction where Ed and Al have another false lead for the Stone. Just because I'm a squealing Hagaren fangirl.)**

_**AngelMaiden **- And I love your stories, too, where I'm Ed's beloved girl whom he saves from Miroku. XD Arigato for the praise. And I shall look out, considering I have a grand total of 2 reviews thus far._

_**Tower of Babel **- Well, I'm updating so I guess I shall continue it. Not sure how quickly I'll update based on other stuff I have going on on FictionPress. My muse hanging herself doesn't exactly help, either. Hope this chapter doesn't disappoint._

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_The sun hit the train at a blinding angle as the electric vehicle sped off into the burning mass with a whistle of farewell, leaving its ex-passengers in an average middle-of-nowhere: where the mountains of the country finally give way to a barren desert. 

"Ed! This doesn't make any sense!" Alphonse exclaimed, rubbing the top of the horsehair attached to the helmet with one hand as he held a map in the other. "Why would a Stone be in a desolate place like this?"

Edward sighed to cover up his stomach groaning in hunger as he sat with his back rested against his ever-present suitcase. "I don't know, but something'sgot to be here." He mumbled just so Alphonse could hear him. "Those Ishbalans didn't seem like they would lie to us."

"But Brotheerrrr…" Alphonse groaned, looking towards the famous State Alchemist as the map went to his side. "That's just the point. There's nothing _here_."

The younger of the two was right, as he usually was. In fact, the entire station consisted of a single unused train light, a platform of hole-filled wood, and rotting stairs that led down to the dried earth. The station and the train tracks seemed to be the only thing for miles, so Alphonse could see, and as far as he knew, the map was correct in confirming what he saw.

Edward had his head tilted to the sky, resting it on the top part of his suitcase. The bumpy train ride had thrown his spine out of alignment in more than one place. Did those people really loathe him this much, a dog of the military, enough to lead him out here into nothing? The answer to that was yes, Edward knew, considering he was a State Alchemist, but he had a hard time accepting that they would do such a thing.

Alphonse _was_ right when he said there was nothing here. This place was misery's homeland, and as if that wasn't enough, the sun was setting even lower into the desert. Considering Edward had already come out here this far on his _days off_, it was a pretty wise move to do exactly as the Ishbalan man said: to only move after nightfall, which, in fact, wouldn't take very long.

As far as the soldiers in Central knew, both of the alchemists were visiting their hometown of Resembool. Roy would probably be calling Pinako about them tomorrow morning, and there was no doubt about Pinako telling him the truth; Mustang would just have to coax it out of her a little. It at least bought Edward some time to figure out if these people were really working on a Stone. If they weren't, he could _easily _cause another train delay that could work as an excuse. The only problem was making it look natural. He chuckled to himself about causing destruction on the railways, thinking of all the creative techniques he could use.

The suit of armor clanged as Alphonse looked at him after studying the map again. "What's so funny?" He asked, looking at Edward with surprise. Alphonse was having trouble not knowing of what Ed planned to do with this chase. First he led them all the way out into this wasteland, and Alphonse had no clue what his elder brother was up to next.

Edward watched a bird flutter past where they were, heading north. "Nothing." Edward laughed to the sky at the irony of it all. It was better that Alphonse knew nothing of his plan so far. That would just ruin the moment as it was.

"Hey, Ed," Edward guessed his little brother was pointing behind him. "Who's that?"

Edward rolled over and stared past his luggage as a girl stood there in an unusual outfit. Beige pointed boots with intricate designs on them covered otherwise bare calves, and distressed shorts topped off a pair of tan thighs. A bright yellow shirt was a base for a short jean jacket, and a red bandana hung around her neck. Although the thing that surprised the two brothers the most had to be thestrikingly pink ten-gallon hat that rested upon the flaming pigtails that were her hair.

"Howdy, y'all."


End file.
